


The Boy from the Picture

by HMS_Chill



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Fluff without Plot, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, alex is a sap but won't admit it, just not much, like there's some plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:54:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27380761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HMS_Chill/pseuds/HMS_Chill
Summary: Alex comes home with flowers and falafel, and he swears it's just a normal day, but Henry's convinced he's missed something.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 27
Kudos: 216





	The Boy from the Picture

Henry's in the office, working on a chapter about Boston marriages, when a vase of green carnations appears at his side. A moment later, arms wrap around his shoulders, and he breathes in Alex's scent for a moment, smiling as his hands come up to rest on Alex's arms.

“What are these?” 

“What, I cant bring my boyfriend surprise flowers?” Alex asks, kissing just above Henry's ear. Henry smiles, but it's going to take more than that to distract him.

“They’re lovely, but is there a reason?”

“Work, uh, had a banquet and there were extras, and I thought of you. Since, you know, you like this kind of flower. No reason beyond that.” Alex is good at a lot, but they both know he can’t lie to Henry. He turns in his chair, giving Alex a smirk. 

“Your job just so happened to have extra flowers.” 

“Yeah.”

“And they just so happened to be green carnations.” 

“Yeah, to support the green new deal. We’re trying to save the planet here.” 

“So your job, with a senator who is currently in DC, had a banquet during work hours with no advertising or advance prep. And they gave you the extra flowers in a vase that matches the office.”

“It was a staff thank you thing.” 

“Oh, a staff thank you banquet where you’re advertising the green new deal.” 

“Yeah.” Alex couldn’t be more clearly lying, but Henry just rolls his eyes. He pulls Alex onto his lap and kisses him then, and Alex grins, kissing him back. 

“Well, thank you for thinking of me. They’re lovely.” 

“I love you. I’m... I’m really lucky to have you,” Alex says. He kisses the corner of Henry’s mouth, the place where it pinches when he’s scared, and Henry hugs him a bit tighter. 

“And I’m lucky to have a boyfriend who brings me surprise flowers. I... what day is it? This isn’t... I didn’t miss an anniversary or anything, did I? This isn’t the day you called me an asshole or the day we did our official portraits... Is it the day I called you an Ewok?”

Alex laughs at that, kissing his forehead this time, right where it’s creased with worry. “No; it’s nothing important. I just love you, and I wanted to make you happy. So just shut up and be happy, baby.” 

“I don’t deserve you,” Henry says, and Alex shakes his head. 

“Not how this works. You say thank you and that you love me, and then you leave your book alone for an hour so we can go eat falafels and I can dote on you more.” 

“Mmm, I’m not sure. I think I’ve got a bit more to do,” Henry says, smiling. They both know he’s not going to last long, but he turns back to his laptop anyway. Alex stays seated on his lap, resting his head on Henry’s shoulder and kissing his jawline as Henry finishes his thought. He starts a new paragraph and types nonsense words while Alex trails kisses down his neck and Henry tries to think of any important date or event he might have missed. 

“It’s not Philip’s anniversary,” he says, finally turning away from the desk. 

“That was last month. Can we go eat falafels now?” Alex asks. Henry just sighs, letting Alex lead him downstairs. 

There are more flowers on the table, and Alex has gotten out the cloth napkins for them. 

“It’s... you came out publicly a year and two weeks ago.” 

“And I had a work thing today with flowers. The cloth napkins are to cut down on waste, since we’re all about being green.” 

“And the candles, too?”

“They’ll help us not need lights, at least for a bit. And... maybe I wanted to make it a little special. Sue me. I’m a lawyer; I can take it.” 

Henry just kisses Alex’s hand, smiling. “Thank you.” 

“I love you, and I just wanted to show it a little extra. You deserve... you deserve the whole world, really, but a nice dinner is a bit more manageable for a Tuesday night.” 

“And it’s... you promise I didn’t miss anything important?” 

“I promise. I just wanted to do something special,” Alex says, and Henry grins. 

Apparently, Alex had found a falafel cart somewhere near the brownstone, and he’s gotten enough to feed a small army. He tops it off with cupcakes, then tugs Henry up to their bedroom, where they find more flowers, a pile of new blankets, and _Bake Off_ loaded on the TV. Alex lights a new candle, then turns back, looking almost nervous. Henry pulls him in for a kiss. 

“I love you so much.” 

“I love you,” Alex says. “I’m glad you like it. It’s not too much, is it? Would you have wanted something else? I thought about taking you out on a date, but I thought you’d like this more.” 

“This is perfect. But you... you’re sure there’s no reason?” 

Alex, who’s been pulling him toward the bed, stops for a second. 

“Do you... if I tell you something stupid, will you promise not to laugh?” 

“Of course. Whatever you’re about to say absolutely isn’t stupid, but I won’t laugh at you.” 

“Okay. So you know how June loves tabloids?” 

“Yes.”

“So I... she bought one with her birthday money when she turned 15. And there was one of those locker posters, and it... I swear this is the stupidest thing.”

“It’s not, but I’d love you even if it was.” 

“You were on it. And I was kind of obsessed with it, and anyway, today is the anniversary of the day she bought it. Eleven years ago today is the first time I saw you, and I sort of fell in love, and I remembered today and wanted to make you feel special.” They’re sitting on the bed now, which means Alex can flop back onto it, covering his face with an arm. After a second, he shifts a bit, uncovering an eye to say, “I told you it was stupid.” 

Henry lies down, too, and before Alex can say anything, Henry's moved his arm and kissed him. "I love you so much. You're a sap."

"Am not. I just love you. A lot. And I wanted to make sure you knew that.” 

"I do. You make me feel so, so loved every single day. I'm so thankful for you, and so lucky to have you, even after all the times I almost fucked it all up."

“Yeah, well, I’m too stubborn to let you fuck it up. Just wait, I won’t even let you ghost me when you die; I’ll drag your soul back.” 

Henry laughs, and Alex pulls him into a hug, nuzzling his nose in Henry’s hair. Henry cuddles in, feeling overwhelmingly loved and so, so happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I went with green carnations because they're gay (Oscar Wilde would put one in his buttonhole). Also, Boston marriages were when two upper class folks of the same sex would live together in Boston in the late 1800s. For women, they were also called Wellesley marriages after the nearby women's college.  
> \--  
> As always, I'm [HMS-Chill](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/hms-chill) on tumblr for fic stuff, and I'd love to chat either there or here. Thanks y'all!


End file.
